Valentine said owner Jeffrey Loria in their last conversation indicated that door would remain open. According to a source that’s been in contact with the front office, if the Marlins replace Edwin Rodriguez this offseason it won’t be with Valentine.

“Not going to happen,” the source said.

Said Valentine: “If they need a manager come next year and I’m still considered a manager, I think that would still be in play.”

Valentine did not shed much light on why he did not take over for the fired Fredi Gonzalez. He reiterated the fact that he was insulted by the process, but whether he was referring to the Marlins’ process or the process mandated by Major League Baseball that involves interviewing minority candidates is unclear. The Marlins also interviewed Rodriguez and Diamondbacks bench coach Bo Porter.

“It had nothing to do with money,” Valentine said. “It had nothing to do with years. It had nothing do to with the contract of the working agreement. That was already discussed and basically agreed on. Baseball has certain ways of doing things I guess. I never heard or was given a reason why I went from being in the position that I was in to being a non-candidate. I never had that explained that to me.”

Valentine also quashed speculation that a personality clash with team president David Samson was at the reason the deal fell apart, saying: “Not really, not that I know of. You’ll have to ask Jeffrey. I didn’t have much contact with David Samson.

“There was some indication [I would be the next Marlins manager]. Once they fired Fredi, when they made the determination they needed a manager – I didn’t think it was my job when they had one – but when they needed one, yeah, I thought that was the case.”

Valentine also downplayed his relationship with Loria. The two have known each other more than 20 years, but Valentine hesitated to even characterize the relationship as a friendship.

“I’ve known Jeffrey for many years,” Valentine said. “We had dinner once along the way. If that constitutes a friendship, that I met him twenty something years ago and we’ve talked in passing at a General Managers meeting or something or we talked on the phone a few times or we had dinner, if that means it’s a friendship then it’s a friendship, but I cherish friendship a little more than that.

“I’m befuddled. If I thought I could say something that was exactly what happened and be succinct about it, I definitely would. I really don’t have the capability of doing that. I have the facility of doing that. My brain will work and make my mouth move, but I don’t have the information in my brain to be accurate.”

Anyone see the report by ESPN that looked at every sports stadium, (MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA) and good old Sun Life stadium, where the Dolphins and Marlins play, has the highest rate for germs and health hazards.

Now I can understand why so many of you Marlin fans are nutty in the head. I hope all of you can seek medical help asap. Germs can affect both your physical and mental health.

Personally, I blame it on all the dirty Hispanic & New Yorkers that spit every minute, leave garbage on the floor, piss all over the restroom floors, and refuse to wash their hands.

Please, clean up after yourselves. Or will the new stadium end up the same way?

Sol, I didn’t say anything worng, right?

I just call it the way I see it.

Juan is the exception, he uses a napkin and is very neat when he eats up in the press box.